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A family home in the spectacular countryside near Henley-on-Thames has been given the minor accolade of the best house in the world.

The home, called Fayland House, is situated in the Chiltern Hills between the villages of Skirmett and Hambleden.

It came out on top against worldwide competition to be voted the “Best new house” in the industry leading The Architectural Review House Awards.

The house in a designated area of Oustanding Natural Beauty.

The design brings together the former buildings on the site, which included a two storey house, a summer hose, large stables, a gym, a green house and an outdoor swimming pool.

The buildings which had been built with little relation to each other, and designers David Chipperfield Architects of London had the challenge of coming up with a design to bring them all together.

The architects say the new home sits in the countryside as a “large earthwork”, describing it as “like a dam sitting on the cusp of a slope.

It now has a number of courtyards with provide close contact with nature, which contrast the natural beauty of the views from the main home.

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The building’s roof is covered with topsoil from the site and has been planted with native grass.

The walls are made of white bricks and lime mortar designed to look like the chalk found in the hills the home is situated in.

In judging, Christine Murray, editor of The Architectural Review, said: “The judges set themselves a difficult task: they wanted to find a house that was not just well-designed, but subversive in some way.

“They found in Chipperfield’s Fayland House a plan that subverted the expectations set up by its rigid, rhythmic facade.

“The uncomfortable girth of the columns and the way they mediated the landscape was also mentioned.

“The project pushes at boundaries.

“They also found its restrained opulence interesting, but I think the real enthusiasm was in the courtyards embedded in its asymmetrical plan and that beautiful enfilade.